Jennifer walks in and has a baby

Jennifer with baby Elise back at the hospital to thank Charlotte Crouch, Anne Lamb and Debbie Allsop who helped with the special delivery

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WOKING Community Hospital doesn’t usually deal with maternity cases, but had to make an exception for Jennifer Christian.

It was the nearest hospital available for the expectant mum when she realised her baby was going to arrive in a hurry.

Husband Alan got her there just in time after a worrying train ride back to Woking from their jobs in London.

Jennifer’s delivery of baby Elise was the first ever at the hospital, which has a walk-in centre for cases such as minor injuries.

Jennifer wanted to carry on working right up to the due date of her second baby.

The plan was to have as much time as possible with the new arrival once she was born, before returning to the office. But things went awry when she went into labour early.

Jennifer, 33, of Knaphill, was at work in London last Monday when she started to feel unwell. She called Alan, who works in publishing in the city, and he accompanied her home on the train.

But as the train pulled into Woking at about 4.50pm, Jennifer realised her labour was imminent, more than a week early.

She said: “I told my husband I was not going to make it and he took me straight to the walk-in clinic.”

Alan, also 33, ran to get his car, parked at the station, and drove them both to the community hospital just minutes away in Heathside Road.

It has a walk-in centre for people who need medical help.

Alan said: “It just happened so quickly. I did think about dialling 999 when we were on the train so that an ambulance would be waiting at the station.

“But Jennifer felt she was ok. When we arrived at the clinic I saw a paramedic, Charlotte Crouch, and I said my wife was about to have a baby.”

Just over an hour later, Jennifer and Alan, who live in Cavell Way, were the proud parents to baby girl, Elise Hannah, who weighed in at 6lb 13oz. They already have a son, Hayden, two.

Alan added: “Charlotte helped to control the delivery along with the nurses. The staff were all just so professional.”

Jennifer added: “I hadn’t started maternity leave because I wanted to maximise my time with Elise when she arrived.”

Jennifer and baby went to St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey for checks before going home.

Anne Lamb, nurse at the community hospital, said: “You never know who will come into the walk-in centre, but the arrival of Jennifer and Alan Christian gave us the most memorable and rewarding of shifts.”